Process for the electrolytic separation of titanium from titanium scrap



July 12, 1960 H. R. LEECH 2,944,949

PROCESS FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC SEPARATION OP TITANIUM PROM TITANIUM SCRAP Filed May 8. 1959 lo no lo 14 14 n4 13 x I3 as i .2 4 2z" ne |e le s zo e T 2| "|7 "l7 "I7 a 3 'r to 1/ l nog I e L 5 L L- 4 ODO as 2.4 e 7 S8 ...A-.fanwaooomgomEQUO@ 0 2 /NVE/VTOR:

Hol/w)l Row/and Leech A TTORNEYS.

PROCESS FOR THE ELECTRLYTIC SEPARATION F TITANIUM FROM TITANIUM SCRAP Harry Rowland Leech, Widnes, England, assigner to- Imperial Chemical Industries Limited, London, England, a corporation of Great Britain Filed May S, 1959, Ser. No. 811,852

Claims priority, application Great Britain May 9, 1958 15 Claims. (Cl. 204-64) substantially its value in metallurgical fabrication. Said d contamination is usually due for instance -to oxygen and nitrogen.

In the recovery of titanium from scrap by electroreiining in a fused salt bath, wherein the titanium scrap is the anode, the titanium passes into'solution and the contaminants remain behind in the anode sludge or anode slime.

The object of the present invention is to provide a process for the electrolytic separation of titanium from titanium scrap by electro-deposition of the titanium on a cathode in a fused salt under such conditions inter alia that air is excluded which permitsanode sludges or slimes formed during said electro-deposition to be removed smoothly and economically.

According to the present invention the process for the electrolytic separation of titanium from titanium scrap by electro-deposition of the titanium on a cathode in a fused salt in an electrolytic cell comprises employing in the fused salt a metal which is molten at the `temperature of the fused salt and which is not anodically attacked when in contact with titanium, is denser than titanium and `is compatible with the material of construction of the cell, floating the titanium scrap on and keeping it in electrical contact with said metal in molten condition, dissolving the titanium from the titanium scrap into the fused salt by passing an electric current between said metal in molten condition and the cathode, and removing by said metal in molten condition matter which is undissolved in the fused salt and is derived from the titanium scrap during passage of the electric current.

Said metal may be, for example, tin or lead or other metal which is' molten at the temperature of the electrodeposition or it may be in the form of an alloy which is molten at the temperature of the electro-deposition. Said alloy may be one which is molten, for example, at a temperature below 800 C., as for example a tin alloy .having this characteristic. Whatever metal is used which is molten at the temperature of the electro-deposition .the titanium scrap has to iioat on it, it has to carry the current to the titanium scrap, and has to remove the scrap or slime from the fused salt, that is to say out of the electrolytic cell. Some or all of the scrap or slime may dissolve in or alloy with the molten metal or may simply oat upon the molten metal.

Said metal is preferably circulated through the electrolytic cell.

Y The fused salt is preferably a fused salt system wherein a titanium salt is an essential constituent. The titanium Y Patented July l2., i960 F A-s salt may be, for example, titanium dichloride which may be present from the equivalent of 5% of titanium to twice to three times this amount. A suitable fused salt system, for example, is one consisting of titanium dichloride and sodium chloride. Such a fused salt system may contain in addition potassium chloride and/or lithium chloride and/or strontium chloride. Fused salt systems comprising titanium dichloride and having a melting point below 800" C. are particularly useful Apparatus according to the invention comprises an electrolytic cell of the kind which permits electrolytic separation of titanium from titanium scrap by electro-deposition of the titanium on a cathode in a fused salt and comprising means to permit air to be excluded and an inert gas to be introduced, means to permit the salt to be kept in molten condition, means to permit the cathode with its deposit of titanium to be withdrawn into an inert gas and the fitting of a fresh cathode in the presence of an inert gas is characterized in that it has means for the introduction into the fused salt of a metal which is molten at the temperature of the fused salt and which is not anodically attacked when in contact with titanium, is denser than titanium and is compatible with the material of construction of the cell, in that it has means to introduce the titanium scrap and iloat it in electrical contact on said metal in molten condition and in that it has means which permit said metal in molten'condition to be withdrawn after it has removed from the fused salt matter which is undissolved therein and which is derived from the titanium scrap during the passage of an electric current.

Preferably the electrolytic cell has means to keep said metal circulated through it.

An embodiment of apparatus according to the invention for'the carrying out of the process of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the digrammatic drawing accompanying the provisional specification wherein 1 is a mild steel tank on the base of which is a layer of molten metal 2 upon which is a molten electrolyte 3. The tank 1 is divided into three compartments, 4, 5, 6 by mild steel partitions 7 and 8. Compartment 5 is the main compartment. Tank 1 is also provided with means (not shown) for adding raw material and fresh electrolyte into feed pipe 9, means (not shown) .for introducing and removing the mild steel cathodes 10 and means (not shown) for removing residues from the end compartment 6. Means 11 are also provided for circulating the molten metal 2. The tank 1 rests in a furnace (not shown) by which it can be brought to operating temperature and kept at that temperature. The furnace may be heated for instance by electricity, oil or gas.

The cathodes 10 are housed in bells 12 which provide a seal below the surface of the electrolyte 3. The cathodes may be removed by unbolting lids 13 from the flanged end of the bells 12'. insulating material 14 prevents the cathodes l@ from being electrically connected with the lids 13 and the steel structure of the cell 1, and at the same time permits a sliding joint so that the cathodes 10 may be raised or lowered. Thus when a cathode 10 has received its complement of titanium deposit 15 it may be raised out of the electrolyte 3 into a higher position in the bell 12. Means 16 are provided for cooling the upper portion of the bells 12. Said means 16 may depend for example on circulating cooling water, or the provision of tins over which cooling air may circulate. A supply of inert gas, of which argon is the best example, is separately connected to each of the confined spaces 17, 18, 19, A20, 21 and the whole apparatus s maintained under a slight Vpositive pressure of inert gas,

. 3 to preventingress of'air. '22 is a cover for compartment 6. -23 Ais titanium scrap and 24 isscrap and slime.

The steel tank 1, the molten metal 2 and the titanium scrap 2 3: form the anodic portion of the cell.

-By way of example vthe process of the invention may I`be 'carried out as follows in the aforesaid embodiment ofianelectrolytic cell according to the invention.

Tank =1is lilled with electrolyte made, for example, `as follows. n The'electrolyte is a fused salt containing'some lower titanium chloride, of which about l0-15% is a convenient concentration. This electrolyte vmay be made -by immers'ing titanium scrap in fused salt and passing in titanium Vtetrachloride vapour, which is reduced `to titaniumvdiand 'tri-chlorides which dissolve in the kfused salt. 'Whilst sodium chloride is avery suitable salt, any chloride which is not reduced lby -titaniur'n'rnay be used, 4that is,'chlorides of alkali metals or'alkaline earth metals. Bromides may 4be used iin place of chlorides but on :grounds `of expense, "such variations are to be avoided. The addition .of about' 5% of -a iiuoride, eg. vsodium fluoride, `is advantageous in obtaining a cat-hodic desposit of high quality.

Tank l with its contents .is brought to working temperature, which is measured at appropriately located thermometertpoints. VThe bottom/of tank l is covered with the molten metal 2, and suitably .comminuted titanium scrap 23 is fed in through the feed pipe 9. :The moltenmetal is circulated .so Vthat the titanium. scrap -23 `is .carrie'dinto and through `.the electrolyticcell, that is -to sa-y under the partition 7 into the main .deposition com,- partment' .Partition is Vset close to the surface of the molten metal 2 so that only very small particles and slimes 1254 can .be carried underneath into compartment 6.

An electric current is now passed between the cathodes 10 and the anodic part of the electrolytic cell. Although the steel tank k1Y andthe molten metall are anodic, it is found that only the titanium scrap passes into solution .in the fused salt. If supplies of titanium are allowed Ito run short the molten metal-2 and the tank V1 will beginnt@ .be attacked, vso that the electrolytic cell must :be well .supplied with titanium Vscrap v23 through-the teedpipe 9, Y'1`lie 11e must also be an adequate rate of ilcirculation of the molten rnetal H2 so that small amounts of titanium are drawn vinto the end compartment das determined `by inspection throuahits wpvvQn rstpassing.,electric'current through the electro,- .lytic cell, the ktitanium tricnloride present :is reduced-,at the electrodes l toA titanium .dichloride After this, vthere -isV a .cleaning .up action, that is -to lsay there zremcwal .of impurities such as iron, which is electrochemically more -noble than titanium and therefore deposited on lthe cathodes V10 in preference to it, and of oxygen lwhich may beA present as oxides dissolved in the salt. Then there is a preliminary deposition of titanium upon the cathodes 10. These cathodes upon which this preliminary deposition of titanium takes place are how.- ever removed as the deposits of titanium are of low quality. These cathodes 10 can be referred to as con-V ditioning cathodes. After these .conditioning cath lodes `are removed new'cathodes 10 are introduced. Of these new cathodes only cathode lil in the endV comp artm'entV 4 is used .as a conditioning cathode as the other new cathodes 10 are used as production cathodes. The amount of current taken by cathode lil in 4compartment 4 is regulated, eg. by an external resist ance. Only enough current is passed through this Vcathode to ensure that the next cathode 10, i.'e. vthe one nearest :to it in compartment '5, :is making titanium .of the desired specication. The f,production cathodes 10 are ,supplied withA an appropriate current, which may vary Awithin :,Wide limits according to `production requirements.

Itis foundthat over a range of current densities Ybetween .4 ,and 40 amps/ sq. in. (calculated on ,the immersed-area i. a1.c.athod,e 0a which .deposition Starts) .very Yty titaniumjmetal lis vobtained,

After an appropriate time, determined by the total current passed-and the diameter of the bells-12-the cathodes l0 are in turn taken out offthe electrolyte 3, allowed to 4drain and cool, Iand then removed from the electrolytic cell by removing the covers 13. Other cathodes 10 are then inserted and the operations are begun again.

:Intbs Wave high Aquality titanium ,is recta/ered, whilst impurities spell as oxide, carbide nitride in ,the titanium scrap, and more noble alloying elements, e.g. iron, tin, remainbehind as slimes or 'are .dissolved in the molten `metal 2. The slimes 'and residues 24 are carried into the 'end compartment '6. vBy lremoving the cover 22 of this compartment, these .slimes or residues 24 may be scraped out. At the same time some ofthe electrolyte 'S'and some of the vmolten metal-"2 'are also removed. The amonnt of slimes v and-residues 24 to be removed is such 4as to prevent an undue depth of slimes or residues 24` accumulating above the molten metal 2, and theamourfitiof molten-metal -2 to beremoved issuch `as to maintain the alloycon'stituents of the Ytitanium "scrap -f23 which dissolve inthe 'molten metal Y2 within predetermined limits. 'The material so removed may i:be subjected to informal chemical and metallurgical 'procvesses for recovery of any valuable constituents.

Because of :the removal ofmaterial from -t-he end'com- .partrnent 6 land-"because'of the drag out loss of elec- 7trolyte.attached lto the cathodic deposit 'of 'titanium 15, somemake up fis-essential. V4This may conveniently be done in the feed pipe 9. The extra metal required for -themolten metal fZmay fb'eV added, as solid or liquid. ,Inzthezsa'meway the extrasalt required for the molten electrolyte "3 mayebe .added as solid or liquid. Also, :by passing some .titanium tetrachloride vapour'into this pipe 9, below the level of the titanium scrap 23 standing in it, anamount .of :lower titanium .halides isY produced, Iand by control of the titanium tetrachloride feed, .the lower halides are proportioned to the sal'lt feed to give :the desired electrolyte composition. However, this is not the only methodv of adding make-up. For example molten metal v2 can Ibe added to thependpcompartment 6 and make up electrolyte-maybe madein a vseparate -vessel and added to theY iirst compartment 5t. v'This `latter `procedure may be necessary when .grades of titanium scrap are processed which give rise to ,electrolyte contamination Vto such an extent that `a considerable ,replacement rate is needed.

Lt -is thus seen `that .the procedure preferably adopted is suchY that any impurities are removed .at the condiftonins electrode 10 that .is to' fsav electrode 10 ,in

compartment 4, before the ullyfreduced andvconditioned molten electrolyte 3 hows under partition 7 and enters the main Compartment 5- In this way .inequality of the athodically deposited titanium A can 'Ibemaintained high .and .free from hardening impurities Such as Oxygen- The titanium 15 whchfis removed ifrQtn athodes 10 in compartment v5 is in :large dendritic crystalline form. The titanium maville Washed .Whilst attached t0 a cathode or may be scraped off .before Washing. Acidpondititms and rapid agitation should' bena/.er ,always .rieferab'ly be maintained, because 0f the ,Presence y9i :titanidichloride .in Athe.ac'lherent electrolyte `.as .titanium ,dichloride .tends `top-form insoluble basic .'voxidi cornpounds which cQntamin/ate and beiden the metal A very satisfactory methodof-.working is to agitate apathode its depositof titanium in successive charges o f 1% vsulphuric atc-id until va ,sample of fthe` acid .is freefrom chlorideion. The titanium is then mechanically scraped fromv the cathode, is-given a further .wash rin pure water to lrernove all-`sulphuic acid, andis then driedat a y,temperatu're VAnot .exceeding 60 C. -In this way `metal of less 'than 100 D.P.I}I. `A(DiarnondPyramid Number hardnesscanbasalr'id What I claimis: l, A

the. electralxtic segnati@ .O f titanium ,bylelectiv deposition Qof the titanium on a cathode in a fused salt in an electrolytic cell which comprises employing in the fused salt a metal which is molten at the temperature of the fused salt and which is not anodically attacked when in contact with titanium, is denser than titanium and is compatible with the material of construction of the cell, oating the titanium scrap on and keeping it n electrical contact with said metal in molten condition, dissolving the titanium from the titanium scrap into the fused salt by passing an electric current between said metal in molten condition and the cathode, and removing by said metal in molten condition matter which is undissolved in the fused salt and is derived from the titanium scrap during passage of the electric current.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein said metal is tin.

3. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein said metal is lead.

4. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein said metal is in the form of an alloy which is molten at the temperature of the electrodeposition.

5. A process as claimed in claim 4 wherein said alloy is molten at a temperature below 800 C.

6. A process as claimed in claim 5 wherein said alloy is a tin alloy.

7. lA process as claimed in claim 1 wherein said metal is circulated through the electrolytic cell.

8. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fused salt is a fused salt system wherein a titanium salt is an essential constituent.

9. A process as claimed in claim 8 wherein the titanium salt is titanium dichloride.

10. A process as claimed in claim 9 wherein the titanium dichlonide is present from the equivalent of 5% of Itlitanium to three times this amount.

11. A process as claimed in claim 8 wherein the fused salt system is one consisting of titanium dichloride and sodium chloride.

12. A process as claimed in claim 8 wherein the fused salt system contains in addition potassium chloride.

13. A process as claimed in claim 8 wherein the fused salt system contains in addition lithium chloride.

14. A process as claimed in claim 8 wherein the fused salt system contains in addition strontium chloride.

15. A process as claimed in claim 8 wherein the fused salt system has a melting point below 800 C.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,544,138 De Nora Mar. 6, 1951 2,757,135 Gleave et al July 31, 1956 2,917,440 Olson Dec. 15, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 745,530 Great Britain Feb. 29, 1956 Canada Mar. 16, 1954 

1. A PROCESS FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC SEPARATION OF TITANIUM FROM TITANIUM SCRAP BY ELECTRO-DEPOSITION OF THE TITANIUM ON A CATHODE N A FUSED SALT IN AN ELECTROLYTIC CELL WHICH COMPRISES EMPLOYING IN THE FUSED SALT A METAL WHICH IS MOLTEN AT THE TEMPERATURE OF THE FUSED SALT AND WHICH IS NOT ANODICALLY ATTACKED WHEN IN CONTACT WITH TITANIUM, IS DENSER THAN TITANIUM AND IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE MATERIAL OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE CELL, FLOATING THE TITANIUM SCRAP ON AND KEEPING IT IN ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH SAID METAL IN MOLTEN CONDITION, DISSOLVING THE TITANIUM FROM THE TITANIU, SCRAP INTO THE FUSED SALT BY PASSING AN ELECTRIC CURRENT BETWEEN SAID METAL IN MOLTEN CONDITION AND THE CATHODE, AND REMOVING BY SAID METAL IN MOLTEN CONDITION MATTER WHICH IS UNDISSOLVED IN THE FUSED SALT AND IS DERIVED FROM THE TITAIUM SCRAP DURING PASSAGE OF THE ELECTRIC CURRENT. 